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The Latest Merger News  May 13, 2009 MLT Vacations announced today that after 20 years of managing NWA WorldVacations, the brand will become Delta Vacations on July 6. They are entering a new era that will offer even more vacation options! Thus, the complete move of the vacation product will occur prior to the full completion of the airline move. Delta Vacations will offer the same great travel products with the same great service that you have come to expect from NWA WorldVacations. All NWA WorldVacations bookings made today and through 5JUL will simply be converted to Delta Vacations on 6JUL. No changes will need to be made to any records. Passageways wants you to know that current handling of Delta Vacations is by Travel Impressions. Bookings made with them through 5JUL will continue to be fulfilled by them. As always, any and all questions are invited to your Passageways professional. March 23, 2009 Delta Compliance with DHS/TSA Secure Flight Program The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued its "Final Rule on Secure Flight" which shifts pre-departure watch list matching responsibilities from individual airlines to the (DHS) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Under the new Secure Flight Rule, the TSA mandates that air carriers request passengers to provide specific information and that it is added to their reservations. The required information is known as Secure Flight Passenger Data (SFPD) and is listed below.
In preparation, Delta and Northwest are proactively conducting meetings with many internal departments including Corporate Security, Airport Customer Service Security, Information Technology, Corporate Communications, Sales, Marketing, Process Improvement, and MLT Vacations to determine how the information will be collected in reservations booked by DL, NW, travel agents and on websites. Delta and Northwest also attended a joint ATA/IATA/TSA/CBP Secure Flight meeting in Washington D.C. to discuss industry concerns related to Secure Flight and reservations and booking systems. Timelines set by the TSAOf the four timeline dates set by the TSA, DL and NW have already met the first two as highlighted below. The remaining two dates and requirements are noted below. To meet the timelines, DL and NW, along with other airlines are actively developing an industry standard to determine where the data elements are to be placed within the PNR. When the processes are defined, further information will be communicated.
The TSA recognizes the need to make the traveling public aware that there will be the requirement to provide the SFPD when a reservation is made to fly and is in the process of building a public awareness campaign. The TSA will be providing airlines with a TSA-designed "Tool Kit" for communication purposes that will be distributed to appropriate departments by the end of March. The link provided below from the TSA public Web site details Secure Flight more thoroughly. http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/secureflight/index.shtm Please be assured that Delta is working diligently with the TSA to address the concerns of our customers as we move towards complying with the Secure Flight rule requirements. February 3, 2009 Delta Introduces New Account-Linking, Mileage-Transfer Capabilities for SkyMiles, WorldPerks Members November 14, 2008 Delta, Alaska Air Grow Closer Carriers will expand marketing alliance; takeover may be down the road By HARRY R. WEBER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ATLANTA -- Delta Air Lines Inc., which broadened its global reach with its purchase of Northwest Airlines, plans to expand a marketing alliance with Seattle-based Alaska Air Group Inc., a carrier that some industry observers have speculated Delta may have an interest in acquiring one day. The marketing alliance expansion was scheduled to be announced Monday at a news conference at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where the chief executives of Atlanta-based Delta and Alaska Air will speak, according to an event advisory issued by the carriers. Delta is the world's biggest carrier. Alaska Air operates Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, which together serve more than 90 cities through their network in Alaska, Hawaii, the continental U.S., Canada and Mexico. Delta's existing alliance with Alaska Air was started in 2004, and there has been a relationship of more than 20 years between Alaska, Horizon and Northwest. Currently, code sharing by Delta, including Northwest, extends to more than 100 markets served by Alaska Air, including Horizon, and code sharing by Alaska Air extends to more than 30 markets served by Delta. Currently, Delta frequent fliers can book award tickets on Alaska Air flights that carry the Delta code. On Monday, Delta will announce enhancements to those agreements, including plans for new service that would be supported by their code-sharing partnership, Delta spokeswoman Betsy Talton said. Under code-sharing arrangements, one airline puts its name or code on a flight operated by the other, allowing it to sell tickets on the other's flights. The carriers, in turn, generally share that revenue. Code sharing is considered a low-risk way for airlines to expand their networks without the added cost of more planes and employees. Credit Suisse analyst Daniel McKenzie said in a research note in October that his firm has not ruled out the possibility of further merger and acquisition activity for Delta in the future. He said then that Alaska Air Group and New York-based JetBlue Airways Corp. "remain appealing targets, both with attractive assets and strategic positioning that would enable DAL/NWA to better compete with what we consider is an inevitable CAL/UAUA combination sometime down the road." Delta has not commented on the speculation. Houston-based Continental Airlines Inc. and Chicago-based UAL Corp., parent of United Airlines, were said to have had discussions earlier this year, but they never announced a combination. Both Delta and Alaska Air are coming off losses in the third quarter. For the three months ended Sept. 30, Delta reported a net loss of $50 million, or 13 cents a share, compared with profit of $220 million, or 56 cents a share, a year earlier. For the July-September period, Alaska Air Group reported a net loss of $86.5 million, or $2.40 per share, compared with profit of $81.8 million, or $2.01 per share, during the same period last year. In Friday trading, Delta shares fell 32 cents, or 3.9 percent, to close at $7.85, and Alaska Air Group shares fell 86 cents, or 3.4 percent, to $24.43. So what can you do? Right now, just bring your seat to the full upright position, stow your tray table, fasten your seat belt…and know that both current carriers want to keep you as a frequent flyer…and your miles are safe… Both carriers and then the new Delta will be looking to take care of you…and Passageways will be there to help you along the way. Anticipate that both programs will continue separately for well over a year. If they get back to valuing each and every customer…and recognizing that frequent customer…they could exceed expectations…ours and theirs. Every time a customer makes a reservation, checks in or shows their boarding pass to the flight attendant, they offer their name. So, "Delta", let's start by taking advantage and showing some appreciation by saying "thanks for flying with Delta today, Mr. Rockne"... As noted, Delta CEO Richard Anderson is also a former CEO of Northwest, so he literally knows these two carriers better than anyone. Add to his accumulated airline knowledge, his experience in raising his two younger sisters after the deaths of his parents, a stint in the prosecutor's office in Houston and you have a leader who just might be able to pull this off. Tom Rockne | ||||||||
